


»Because I love you, stupid.«

by Valentia



Category: Hit the Floor (TV)
Genre: Awkwardness, Basketball, Canon Compliant, Canon Universe, Established Relationship, Fluff, Love Confessions, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-05
Updated: 2017-01-05
Packaged: 2018-09-14 21:44:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9204650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valentia/pseuds/Valentia
Summary: Zero wants to propose to Jude after a game of the Devils. But to his horror, everything that can go wrong, does go wrong.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! It's me again. :)  
> After a long while I've finally written something in English again, so I'm posting it here. As always, English is not my first language, so please tell me if there are any mistakes.  
> I hope you like the fic. I wanted to go to sleep but these two never leave my thoughts and now it's 2.30am and I have this story here and I'm not even sorry. They just make me so happy and I really need them to marry. Like, really. I need it like I need air. So I wrote this, to soothe the pain while waiting for season 4 that will hopefully come out at one point.  
> Please read away and leave a comment or kudos if you like, I'd really appreciate it. :)
> 
> Edit: This fic has now been translated into [German](http://www.fanfiktion.de/s/586ec04c0002212226734d00/1/-Because-I-love-you-stupid-) (by myself) and [Russian](https://ficbook.net/readfic/5175381).

This was stupid. Really. Zero knew it was. This was as stupid as it could ever get and would probably turn into a complete and utter mess. He'd probably embarrass himself on national television, in front of millions of people. Even worse, in front of _Jude_.

Zero had no idea how he'd come up with this idea in the first place. Well, proposing to Jude, that thought had been in his head for a while now, even far before Jude had caught that goddamn bouquet on Derek and Ahsha's wedding. But after that, it had been the only thing Zero could think about.

He knew that he already had Jude, just like Jude had him. This proposal wasn't his selfish way of locking Jude down so he'd never leave him. Zero knew that Jude would never do that, just as it was the other way around. Just something about the thought of having Jude as his husband – not just boyfriend, not agent, not his boss as an EVP, but as his husband with a shiny ring on his finger that they would pick out together – something about that made him feel like his whole body was on fire, with butterflies in his stomach and his heart racing faster than after any game he'd ever played.

Zero had never thought he'd ever marry anyone. Not because he thought marriage was stupid (well, not entirely), but because he'd never thought he'd love someone as much as he loved Jude. He'd never thought he'd have someone by his side that he'd want to stick around for the rest of his life. Something about Jude and him being married just seemed so incredibly right to him, he was sure he wasn't thinking straight (well, there clearly wasn't anything straight about him anymore since he'd met Jude, anyway).

And so there Zero was, just a month after their friends' wedding, sweating through his red jersey on the court. Partly because he'd just won the game for the Devils, and partly because of what he was about to do. His heart was pounding so fast in his chest he wasn't sure he'd survive this and every second in which he couldn't spot Jude between the people on the court just made it worse. Zero was becoming frantic, hands clenched to fists so they wouldn't shake, trying to steady his breath, but it was no use. And he'd thought he'd been nervous before kissing Jude in front of everyone for the first time... This was much worse.

Thing was, Zero wasn't really afraid that Jude would say no. He really, really wasn't. At least that's what his mind told him, that he didn't have to worry about that. His heart, however, always did its own thing when it came to Jude. So there still was this tiny part of him that feared Jude's answer. Maybe Jude wasn't the marriage kinda guy, maybe this was all too fast for him, maybe he just didn't want to marry Zero, maybe–

“Gideon!”

Oh, fuck.

Zero turned around and froze. Between interviewers and his team mates and some other important people wearing suits, there was Jude coming towards him. And this was something that was not supposed to happen. Really not. No. Zero was supposed to find _Jude_ first and come over to him and then he'd drop to one knee and then he'd look at him and then he'd say–

“Great game. I mean, really great! You were amazing, Zero!”

Jude was smiling and then he was standing in front of Zero. And before Zero could politely tell him to shut up because _he_ was supposed to be the one talking now, Jude was leaning in and kissing him. And this was just _really not supposed to happen._ They were supposed to kiss _after_ Jude had said _'yes'_ , _after_ Zero had told him how much he meant to him and all that, right? That was how it was supposed to go.

Zero felt Jude go in for a second kiss, this one a little deeper. Jude's hands found Zero's probably still sweaty neck and he parted his lips just to tease at Zero's. Then he moved them against his shyly, not really going in for a make out session while they were still on the court with everyone else, but obviously a little turned on, promising Zero a sleepless night.

Under normal circumstances Zero would have pulled Jude closer, would have tugged on the short strands of hair at the back of his neck and kissed him back, maybe he would have even slipped his tongue into Jude's mouth just for one second. In any case, he would have done _anything at all_ , because right now Zero was actually doing nothing. He was just standing there, letting Jude kiss him, before Jude stopped just that. Because of course, _of fucking course_ , he'd noticed.

“Hey, are you okay?”

And now Jude had that worried look on his face and Zero internally slapped himself.

“Yes,” he croaked, then cleared his throat. “Yes, I'm fine.”

He tried one of his winning grins, but Jude being Jude, of course, didn't believe him. “You don't sound fine. Did you hurt yourself during the game?”

Zero groaned. Why did this always happen to him? Once, _just this one single time_ , he'd wanted everything to be perfect, wanted to do it all right. Obviously Jude wasn't destroying his plans on purpose, but Zero was just pissed at this situation right now. It had been the last game of the season, he wouldn't have another chance of proposing to Jude this way for months.

And before Zero could help it he shook his head, clearly upset, and said, “No, it's all good, Jude, Jesus!”

He rubbed his temple. The sounds of cameras clicking and people talking were ringing in his ears and the background music was suddenly way too loud.

Jude took a step backwards. “What did I do now?”

He sounded offended. Of course he did, because he thought it was his fault that Zero was in a bad mood. Which was actually the truth, but Zero wasn't angry with him because he just didn't know better. Zero was mad at the situation itself. He was mad that he couldn't do this one thing for Jude right, mad and just stressed because of so many things; this game that he had been a little afraid of, him and Jude currently moving into their new house, Jude not having a lot of time because of his job as EVP for Jelena, and finally thinking so so much about his proposal to Jude and now royally fucking it up.

“Zero, what did I do?”

Zero looked Jude over. He took in the sight of him in one of his many, sexy suits, his hair a little messy and his arms crossed in front of his chest. Eventually he stopped at his face. Jude still seemed upset, but there was also love and affection in his eyes, and Zero knew right then and there that he would never stand lying to Jude's face right now.

So he just said, “Nothing.”

He definitely wasn't gonna spill his plan. He would do that proposal thing right at one point in the future. Maybe it just wasn't meant to happen at this place. After all, Derek had proposed to Ahsha here and Zero didn't want it to look like he didn't have any better ideas. He just thought that this place was initially where it all had started – for himself and for Jude and him together. Basketball had saved Zero during and after the horrible time at his foster home and it was everything he'd ever had – before Jude came into his life, obviously.

 _And oh God_ , Jude Kinkade... Zero would have never met him without basketball, and this spot where he was standing right now was the place he'd kissed the love of his life in front of the entire world for the first time, showing everyone that Jude was his and he was Jude's. He didn't care about what anyone else thought. This arena was where he'd fought his battles against Jelena, where he had risen and fallen with the Devils and where his long journey of telling the world who he really was had begun.

Zero was still looking at Jude. And then, before he really knew what he was doing, he dropped to one knee. Screw everything.

But Jude, of course, was confused. “Zero, what are you doing?”

Zero sighed. There really was no going back now. “Will you just shut up for one second, Jude?” He realized how that sounded, then added in a softer tone, “Please.”

Jude had his mouth opened, but closed it again and just stared down at him. Zero thought he could see Jude's fingers tremble while his brows were furrowed. He could literally watch him think and think about what was going on right now. He smiled. He couldn't not.

He didn't know if it was the new angle from which he saw Jude, or that a lot of people had already left the arena and it had become a little quieter, or that he'd done the first step of proposing anyway which was getting down on his knee, or if he'd just finally reached the stage of fuck it – he knew this was it. He would do this. Right there, right then.

So he opened his mouth to speak and–

“Zero?”

Zero flinched out of mere surprise. He didn't know the voice.

“Zero, here! Could we get a quick interview? Just a few questions. You know, since this was the last game of the season, the fans are wondering if you've already signed the contract for next season and–“

Zero stopped listening. He blinked. Was this really happening? Was everyone really that oblivious, and completely rude, for that matter?

As if the situation hadn't already been awkward enough with Zero kneeling on the floor like an idiot, Jude staring at him with slightly less confusion on his face than before and the reporter talking to him about something that Zero really couldn't care less about, Jude suddenly raised his voice.

“Listen, Mister, this is a really inappropriate time. Not to spoil anything, but I'm getting proposed to in a few seconds, so could you please just back off and not make this more embarrassing for everyone involved than it already is?”

That was literally the moment Zero saw his whole world collapse in front of him. He stared at Jude, who stared at the reporter, who was staring at Zero kneeling on one knee.

Then it hit the man. “Oh, I am so sorry, Zero. Please forgive me, I didn't–“

“Just go.” That was Jude again. He pointed at a random place in the arena to emphasize his point and without a last glance the reporter left. Zero was rendered completely speechless.

“I'm sorry,” Jude finally said, sighing and running his hand through his hair before looking at Zero apologetically. “I found the ring lying on Lionel's desk this morning and you've been acting all weird the past days anyway and now you're down on one knee in front of me and I just did the math. I'm really sorry. This... This really shouldn't go this way. I mean, I guess this is not how you've planned it, right?”

Zero ignored the pain in his knee that he felt by now and just kept staring at Jude. Was this situation even real? He also noted to have a word with Lionel who he'd given the engagement ring to so she would give it to him as soon as possible after the game. Right now, he still had it in his right hand, fist clenched.

“No,” he plainly stated, closing his eyes to focus. He had to do something about this situation. It couldn't get worse anyway. “No, this is not how this was supposed to go.” He huffed a pathetic laugh. “I don't even know what to say now, Jude. I totally fucked it up, sorry.”

Jude's lips formed a small smile that turned into one of his stupid grins that Zero had grown to love. “It's fine, Gideon, really. Just get up, for God's sake, people are starting to stare at us – the few that are left, anyway.”

Zero looked around. Half of the people had already left. There was Jelena still being interviewed along with a few other Devil Girls, and Lionel was staring at them from the side, some other people, too.

Suddenly Zero was painfully aware of the attention he was getting from Jude and these other people. He usually loved having everyone's attention, but he felt overwhelmingly uncomfortable to have their attention _now_. This was supposed to be an intimate moment between him and Jude (well, as intimate as it could get on national television) and he somehow knew he would just make a fool of himself, no matter what he did next.

But then he heard Jude's voice again. “Zero? Get up!”

And he took a deep breath. “No.”

The truth was, he didn't want to get up. What he wanted was to propose to this man in front of him. He really fucking wanted to do this. And even if this was the most screwed up moment in his entire life, it didn't matter. What mattered was what they felt for each other and that he would make sure that in every other awkward situation in the future, they would be there for each other, too.

So, all he said was, “Jude?”

“I'm here.”

No turning back.

“Marry me!”

He paused. Well, that came out harsh.

“I mean, if you want to, Jude.”

Oh hell, this was even worse than the reporter interrupting him.

Jude had a puzzled look on his face. His half was smile kind of frozen and Zero would have laughed if he hadn't felt the blush creeping up his neck and if his heart hadn't pounded so damn fast in his chest. Because this was it. He'd just asked Jude Kinkade to marry him – more or less _asked_.

“Gideon–”

“No, wait, don't say _'yes'_!”

If Jude could have looked any more confused, he would have.

“Oh God, I mean, yes, say _'yes'_ , but not now, not yet, I'm gonna do this right. Just... I'm gonna do this right.”

Zero avoided looking at Jude by now. This was without question the most embarrassing situation in his entire life. He looked at the floor, really trying to ignore the nagging pain in his left knee. Then he closed his eyes and sighed. As he opened them again, he was looking up at the ceiling.

And there he was. Well, there _they_ were, on all four screens of the video cube. Again. Like long ago.

So much had happened since then. Zero was so incredibly happy that he could spend all this time with Jude, sometimes he still thought this was all just a dream.

But then something pulled him back to reality. And there was still Jude in front of him, looking down at him. He was clutching his suit jacket, eyes wide open and lips pressed together.

Zero knew exactly what he had to say.

“I love you, Jude Kinkade.”

Well, that wasn't the worst start, after all.

Jude smiled. Zero did, too.

“I really do. And I know you love me, too, and I know I said a long time ago that I wouldn't do relationships, but as you can see, that turned out to be a lie. I do relationships, but only with you. Being with you is the best part of my life and I would do anything for you. You can't even imagine what this means to me, what you mean to me, and I know I can be a real pain in the ass sometimes, but I hope that's bearable because it took me way too long to realize that I need you by my side and I'm not going to let you go any time soon. Actually, I wouldn't be here right now if I didn't want you to be with me forever. And I really want that. More than any championship, more than being team captain, more than anything else. You're really the single greatest thing that's ever happened to me.”

He paused to take a trembling breath. Jude seemed to have tears in his eyes and the whole arena had gone silent. Someone had even turned off the music. All he could hear was his own ragged breath and he felt his heart pulsing throughout his entire body. He usually wasn't the guy to talk about his feelings, but those words had wanted to be said for so long. And even though he was sure Jude knew all this already, because he knew Gideon like no one else did in the entire world, he still seemed so moved by it it almost made Zero's heart jump out of his chest.

But still, there was this one question left that he still had to ask. It was everything or nothing, after all.

And so he gave Jude a smile, a bright smile, all with teeth and sparkling eyes and happiness spreading throughout his whole body, and he said,

“Jude Kinkade, will you marry me?”

He opened his fist in which he'd hid the ring and held his hand up, presenting the ring to Jude.

But Jude didn't take it. Instead, he took a step towards Zero, pulled him up to his feet by his red jersey and stared him right in the eye. There were only inches between them. Jude had the most beautiful smile on his face that Zero had ever seen.

The he said,

“Of course I will marry you, _stupid!_ ”

And Jude almost jumped right into his arms. He hugged Zero so tight, clinging onto his sweaty back and kissing him so fiercely it almost knocked them both over. They were smiling against each others lips soon after, not really kissing anymore, and Zero wrapped his hands around Jude's waist to pull him closer. There were people cheering around them, but Zero didn't really notice them. All he cared about right now was Jude in his arms who had gone back to actually kissing him, and Zero kissed him back just as eager. He slid his left hand underneath Jude's suit jacket, feeling the warmth of his skin through the white dress shirt.

“I love you, too, Gideon,” Jude whispered out of breath and Zero could feel the words against his lips. “So much.”

He pressed his lips firmly to Jude's one last time, then broke the kiss. He looked down at the ring in his hand, then up to Jude who eyed it with wide eyes. It was a rather plain ring, silver with a tiny, white, sparkling stone on the top. Finding the perfect ring had taken Zero very long, and the fact that there were almost no engagement rings for guys had really upset him on more than one occasion, but eventually he'd found this one. By the look on Jude's face his soon-to-be husband liked it, too.

 _Husband._ The thought made Zero's heart jump again.

Eventually, he took Jude's hand in his and slid the ring onto his finger. It fit perfectly and Zero was really relieved.

Jude just stared at his hand like he'd never seen it before. “The ring is beautiful.”

Zero shrugged but could feel himself blush. “Yeah, I mean, only the best for my man, right?”

Jude looked back to Zero and huffed a laugh. “You're unbelievable, Gideon.”

“Yeah, I know.” He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

Jude huffed again. But then he shook his head, smiling, put his hands on either side of Zero's face and leaned in to kiss him. It wasn't rushed and it wasn't brief – it was a promise for so many more great things to come.

When they broke apart, Jude glanced at his ring. “You know, this doesn't make me the wife, though.”

“Oh really, it does not?” Zero asked sarcastically and earned an annoyed look from Jude, but Jude's smile that he couldn't hide erased any sincerity in his face. “No, I'm still wifey, I know that. Although last night you did call me–“

Jude rolled his eyes. “ _Ha ha_ , very funny, Gideon! Just shut up and let's go to the locker room. You're still all sweaty and I am now, too.”

Zero had that smug smile on his face that he knew could really annoy Jude (but that he also secretly loved). “Well, that didn't seem to bother you a minute ago.”

Jude took a step towards the locker room. “So, remind me, why am I marrying you again?” he asked and Zero nudged him at his side, a winning grin on his lips.

“Because you love me, Jude.”

Zero put a hand around Jude's waist and they made their way through the remaining people on the court (who were now polite enough not to ask them any questions just yet). Jude in return wrapped his arm around Zero's back.

And then he pressed a last, brief kiss to the crook of Zero's neck, before he said, “Yes. Because I love you, stupid.”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it! Leave me some feedback if you feel like it.  
> And you can always come talk to me about these two (please do, I don't have anyone to talk to about Zude). You can find me on twitter as @valentia_x. :)  
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
